Question about router bit

I want to repair some window stools and plans to by a router and some router bits for the job. I have a question about roundover router bit specification. It usually says something like "3/8 roundover bit", my question is, is 3/8 the radius of the edge that it cuts?

1. If I replace them, I'd need to buy the stool boards.
2. I'd need to pull out the old one, which may result in some damage to the wall paint, and I may need to paint the wall or even worse, repair it.
3. Yes I need to pay for the router and bit if I repair, but then I will have the tools and I like acquiring tools
4. The stools are chewed by my dog, some very badly but some just slightly. I evaluated the situation and thought overall, repairing may be less work. I plan to use wood filler to patch it up and then use the router to trim it.

There's still some difficulty with routing. several corners were chewed and those are unreachable by a router. My plan is to handcraft it. I hope I didn't end up still having to pull them out.

I'm considering buying the cheap one from Harborfreight, which is about $30 plus shipping. With bits it may be $50-$60 total.

In fact I've never done any routing project. I'm still not sure if it's possible to trim portion of the stool with a router without removing it first, and have the new edge indistinguishable with the undamaged old parts. It actually seems pretty hard to me. Any thoughts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecaption

Why would you repair them and not just replace them?
Far cheaper then having to buy a router and a bit.

ok., you didnt mention that the sills were chewed up by your dog.. this is a different situation.. you wont be able to use a router on them because the guide bearing on the bit will follow every little dent and tooth mark in the wood and the bit will recreate that with the newly routed edge. so your not fixing anything..

you might be better off buying some epoxy wood puddy and filling the damage along with a detail sander to try and clean up the damage

Depending on just how bad it is you get away with just using a random orbital sander. Stools are just soft pine so it would not take much.

If you do by a router I'd never suggest one from Harbor Freight. Had one, it was so loud it sounded like a jet taking off, vibrated so bad your hands still vibrate an hour later and the chuck was so poor it would not tighten up enough.
Check CPO tools for a factory reconditioned Porta Cable.

.....I'm considering buying the cheap one from Harborfreight, which is about $30 plus shipping. With bits it may be $50-$60 total......

That ~ 30$ model is a Trim router which looks like this, and here is the low cost HFT bit set for 8$
I don't see a way to add filler material to the stools in place then restore the original profile without an edge guide. This is not a free hand operation.
The included plastic straight guide will not work in your application because you are adding filler material to fill in the voids which will "bump out" the original stool straight edge.
I'm a big fan of those HF Tools for home use so you could go ahead and buy the set and experiment with the repairs on a piece of scrap wood then you can see the difficulty of maintaining a straight edge without an edge guide.